Steel Diver - Nintendo 3DS

Awesome really like it,

After much deliberation, I finally decided to go with "Steel Diver" as my first game for my new 3DS. It came down to this and "Super Street Fighter IV 3D," but this won out for a couple of reasons. First off, I generally like my handheld games to be a bit more unique. I've found in the past that I generally play games on a handheld device (DS, PSP, iPod Touch) the more it seems to try to be a "console" game, the less I end up liking it. Basically, I want my games for my handheld devices to be something that really can ONLY be found on a handheld device. The other reason it won out is because I'm not very good at fighting games. I figured that I would go ahead and get "Street Fighter" later, but for now I wanted a game that wasn't going to make me frustratingly angry.So I took the plunge and ordered "Steel Diver." It arrived quickly, like everything I order from Amazon, and I opened it and threw it into the 3DS right away.I was impressed by the menu. It's basic, but really easy to navigate and understand. The game responded to taps on the touch screen instantly with no lag or anything. The game starts and gives you a really basic (and pretty generic) you're fighting against some random rogue bad guys. That's really about it. It doesn't give you much of a story, and that was a bit of a let down to me...but not enough that it actually detracted from the game at all.I fired up the first mission, which is a training mission. It's basically just there to show you the control elements. It teaches you how to dive, surface, move forward and backward, fire your weapons, and use your countermeasures. It was during this first mission that I really started to enjoy the game. Controlling the sub takes a little bit of getting used to, but it works, and it works surprisingly well. In no time I was moving my sub around under the sea, destroying enemy ships, and blowing boulders out of my way with well placed torpedoes.I found myself really enjoying the sound effects in the game, even though they are quite basic. The sounds it makes when you are moving the controls are just like the sounds you hear in a movie when a captain is steering a submarine. I was really impressed by how authentic it sounded.I also discovered that I really enjoyed the look of the game. With the 3D slider adjusted, it really does give you a sense of depth of field. You can see schools of fish and underwater plants in the background and your submarine glides silently by them. It really is pretty amazing to look at, even if it doesn't truly further the game experience at all. What I mean by that is, playing the game in 3D is fun to look at, but you won't be missing any of the real gameplay elements if you turn the 3D off. With that said, I highly suggest playing with the game in 3D. You bought a 3DS, you might as well use it's main function, right??I played through several missions in my first sitting and enjoyed every one of them. The environments were all great looking and unique, and although the missions were fairly similar, there was just enough difference to make you feel like you hadn't been doing the same thing over and over again. With that said, I'm not the biggest fan of having to finish each of the first five levels with all three subs just to get to the last two levels. I would have rather had those last two levels just unlocked as soon as you finished the fifth mission, or even better would have been if there were 15 total levels before unlocking the final two. But it is what it is, and I'm also not letting that detract from the overall fun that this game has given me.In between levels you get to go to a periscope mode where you use the screens on the 3DS as if they were an actual periscope on a submarine. You even have the option of spinning your body around and using the gyroscope inside the 3DS to aim the torpedoes. These missions are timed, and they are pretty short. I'm actually glad that they are like that. They give you a sense of urgency while playing, and make it seem pretty hectic. You can play these levels as a stand alone game if you like, but I prefer to play through a mission before giving them a go. They seem like a perfect way to end the mission you've just played.I find that the thing I like the most about "Steel Diver" is the way it controls. It's totally unique and something that really could only be done on a dual screen device, like the 3DS. I know that this game originally started out as a tech demo for the original DS quite a few years ago, but I'm glad Nintendo gave the go ahead to turn it into a fully fledged experience for this new 3DS. The whole package, in my opinion, comes together in a way that can only be experienced on the DS, and for me, that makes this a five star game.

Very happy with seller and product.

I got this game two days ago and have not put it down since. Honestly speaking, the game is decent and a great way to kill some time, but at the same time, I would not pay more than $20 for it. As good as it migh be, it does not justify a higher price.You pilot a submarine through different stages. You have 3 types of subs, which differ by size. The bigger the size the more complicated it is to steer, but the more power you have. Each sub can be decorated with decals that you earn by finishing missions.There are 3 types of gameplay:Missions, which take you and your choice of one of 3 subs, through different stages/maps where you must get from point A to point B while you encounter enemies and obstacles, the maps differ in size, each time you finish a level, you enter a bonus periscope level which ony lasts about minute. Each mission can be played as many times as you like with whatever sub you want (out of the 3), for better times, etc.Periscope Strike, turns the upper screen on your 3DS into the lens of your sub's periscope, you can ony dive, zoom and shoot torpedoes, the point of this game is too look for both enemy's ships and subs; you are given three sub-choices, to hunt enemy ships, enemy ships in a storm and enemy subs. You must aim by moving the 3DS around, so sitting on your couch won't do it, you must rotate constantly.The last gameplay mode is called Steel Commander, which is a mix of the old school battleship game and this game's own twist; you can play this online against human players or offline against AI.Graphics:Not terrible, but not great. They're average. You get to see fish and some nice backgrounds, but the overall quality is just average. Some textures are blocky and the subs themselves have a lot of jagged lines, but don't let that keep you from buying the game, it is very entertaining.3D Effect:Spot-on through out, except for periscope mode. When the 3D is engaged and you are playing any periscope mission/level, it can be pretty distracting and flat out confusing, because you must move with the 3DS to be able to rotate the periscope, and as you all know, to get the perfect 3D view, the 3DS must be held at a certain angle and so while playing periscope, you must not only move the 3DS and your body, but also use the stylus or your finger to shoot torpedoes, zoom and dive.With the exception of Periscope mode, I definitely recommend playing it on 3D through out. The additional layers that the 3D gives you, makes the game and the overall experience that much better.Sound:You get sonar sounds, torpedoes and background music. They all fit and do a great job at creating the right atmosphere for this game. You also hear voices, which are from the crew and commander, but they're only indicating things like, full speed, dive, etc. I'm glad to report that they do not get old or annoying and are well placed at the right moments and only when necessary.The only con about the volume, the lack of it. I felt that the volume was extremely low. I'm using a 3DS XL, so I'm not sure how this sounds on a regular 3DS.At its current price, this game should not be passed, you will get a good amount of playtime out of this tittle, even after you are done with all the missions, you can always play the Steel Commander mode for added time and value. Of course, like I said before, I wouldn't pay more than $20, but that's just my opinion. I gave this game a 5 star rank, because quite honestly, it is fun and there isn't much to complaint about for the price and the amount of content it has.

A bit of a disappointment to be honest I have up by two stars since my first review it's still not the greatest game in the world but the Periscope depth mission it's alright I just don't know how you get through missions I always run out of time you have to be pretty Nimble to play this game